


clarity

by sandyk



Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Post Season 1, Pre Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21889876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: Mel felt she was a fraud, really, less experienced than most of the witches who came to her for help. All she had was some kind of weird family power and being a Charmed One. She still wanted to help.
Relationships: Mel Vera/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	clarity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shihadchick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shihadchick/gifts).



> not mine, no profit garnered.

At one point Mel was trapped on a metaphorical magic train. "How is this my life?" She got up and pressed her hands to the cold windows. "This is not real."

"I know," the other witch said. She was really pretty and her name was Selah. She'd introduced herself noting that her mother was Indonesian, her father was Malaysian. "People always ask what are you?" Selah had frowned and made a sour face.

Mel had said, "I absolutely would never have asked you that. Look at me, you don't think I get that question all the time? So many assholes saying, no really, where are you from? Really?" She made a goofy face because they were all assholes and she was so sick of it. It was absurd. 

Now she and Selah were on this damn train. Selah said, "It's a trap. I think it was built for demons? The coven I was part of said it was created about a hundred years ago. I just know it never stops."

"Great, great news," Mel said. She'd already tried to call Harry, no luck of course. She'd tried to freeze the train, nothing happened. She and Selah had chanted a few take me home spells, no effect. Mel said, "What if we try something to end enchantments? Just end it."

"I do know one," Selah said. 

They had to do it four times before the train finally stopped and let them off. It was such a strong magic trap, though, once they got off the train started up again and disappeared into the mist. 

"Where are we?" Mel looked around at mist and trees. Not the type of trees she knew, either. "Harry, Harry, Harry!"

It took a few seconds but Harry finally appeared. He said, "Why are you in Cambodia?"

"I have no idea," Mel said. She grabbed Selah's hand. "Take us home, please."

Selah had a brother, her brother's boyfriend had once dated a demon. The demon tried to come for Selah's brother and she had tried to banish the demon. But the demon was pretty powerful. 

Selah had appealed to Mel for help and when Mel went to help they were pushed into the train. 

"So we need to do something else," Mel said. 

"Maybe get the demon a new boyfriend so he stops dwelling?" Selah puttered around her kitchen, flipping between spell books and a recipe on her tablet. She had a tiny kitchen, painted in a kind of pastel green that wasn't at all homey. 

"Would that work?" Mel grabbed one of the spell books and started flipping through it. "Who do you hate enough to fix up with the demon? Is the demon a him? Is that the right pronoun?"

"Do demons get to have correct pronouns?" Selah frowned. She reached into the top shelf of the cabinet by stepping on a stepladder. It had seen a lot of use. Selah pulled down something inky and oozing black in a mason jar. She said, "No, you're right. I think the demon is a he."

"Everyone gets correct pronouns," Mel said. "I used to be a graduate student. I've had that argument with a bunch of people."

Selah said, "Even people who aren't graduate students argue about that." She had a really cute smile. "Do you miss it?"

"Arguing with graduate students? Not at all," Mel said. "Academia? A little. It was nice to get paid to think deeply about systems and people. Not that I was paid very much."

"I have a Master's," Selah said. "In English literature. I know all about not getting paid very much."

"What kind of english literature?" Mel put down the spell book and leaned against the narrow kitchen counter. 

"I focused on novels by women in the UK in the 1920s," Selah said. "You don't have to pretend to be interested, I'm not sure I was that interested."

"I bet you were interested," Mel said. 

Selah looked down and blushed. "Fine, I was obsessed. I loved those books. But once I had the degree, you know. Gotta work. There isn't much call for talking about writers influenced by George Eliot. And absolutely no paycheck."

"So you run a coffee place," Mel said. "It's nice to have a paycheck."

"It's a coffee house," Selah said. "We've upgraded." She flipped her tablet towards Mel and showed her the Yelp listing. It had four and a half stars and over a hundred reviews. "That's where my brother's boyfriend met his demon."

"Maybe we can lure him back and fix him up there," Mel said, shaking her head. 

Selah said, "But I don't know who to fix him up with. Are we even sure it would work?"

"We know when we try to do a straightforward attack or trap him, he mirrors it right back at us. And he's still threatening your brother," Mel said. "I don't know. I haven't been doing this for very long."

Selah tapped her fingers on the counter. "My grandmother had a love spell. Not love technically. It clarifies attraction. Brings you clarity on what you're looking for. Maybe we could try that. And then the demon sees, I don't know, another demon he wants more than he wants Chet?"

"If he mirrors it back to us then we'll just have clarity on our attractions, right?" Mel said, "I think I already have clarity."

"Same," Selah said. She looked over at Mel and then back at the spell book she was flipping through. "I already know I'm primarily attracted to women. Usually, hopefully, women who are also attracted to other women. But a few straight girls in there."

"High school," Mel said. She grinned. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Sort of?" Selah really had this great smile. It was very warm and Mel definitely wanted to smile back. "But first, saving my poor brother."

"Absolutely," Mel said. 

The clarifying love spell was comparatively easy. Mel and Selah took the resulting potion to Selah's coffee house. When the demon came in with a foul expression on his face, Mel took the counter. She took the demon's order and added the potion. It was mostly tasteless, so they were hoping he would just drink. 

They both watched from the back of the house while the demon drank the whole thing. Then he coughed and coughed. He blinked a few times. Then he left. 

"Do you think it worked?" Selah was automatically straightening pastries on the counter and fiddling with displays. 

"We'll find out, I guess," Mel said.

That night, Selah's brother came over. He was definitely happy. He told Selah that Chet's ex had called and said he was leaving them alone. "He realized he wasn't in love with Chet anymore. I guess he's going to try to get back together with another ex. Somewhere out of town. Way out of town."

Mel did a little dance in the tiny kitchen by herself. She was always so thrilled when she could actually help. She was a fraud, really, less experienced than most of the witches who came to her for help. All she had was some kind of weird family power and being a Charmed One. It wasn't very egalitarian. But here, she'd helped. She'd definitely helped. 

And Selah gave her one of Selah's favorite novels to read, with a note about calling to return it. "Come visit anytime, really," Selah said. "Really. Any time."


End file.
